Tuesday, 8 January 2013

One Man, Two Guv'nors

Stepping into the heart of British theatre in Piccadilly Circus is such a great feeling! It's not as hectic as Times Square, of course, but the lights, tourists and keen theatre nerds cramming into the foyers of historic theatres make this place really special.

Back in the Summer after an intense 3 months of study in North Scotland, I thought I'd treat myself and my sister to a show. I didn't want to see a musical, as I always see musicals and not enough plays! We went to the Royal Haymarket, a grand old theatre where I saw Sweet Charity last year.

The Plot: I can't say too much, because it's a very cool show where every performance is different. The audience are involved a great deal this is what makes it a very special play.

The story revolves around a man called Francis Henshall in 1940s Brighton. He lands two jobs as a go-fer for two different men, one of which is a local gangster and the other a posh criminal. Henshall's main aims are to stop his bosses from finding out that he works for another man, take his girlfriend on holiday and EAT! Yeah, this is one for the foodies too!

The show was hilarious. I did not know much about it before I took a trip up to London, but I knew that James Corden had won the hearts of the harshest Broadway critics, therefore the the West End production should be good. My sister and I took full advantage of the 'Ticket For a Tenner' deal on Lastminute.com and were so excited to be there. Our seats were great too - in the balcony but in full view of the stage.

It wasn't just normal British slap-stick comedy, but the well-written script and musical interludes injected so much life into the play.

There were two things I loved the most about 'One Man, Two Guv'nors: 1) The east end/Cockney, and 'Sloaney' accents were hilarious and actually really hard for actors to pull off well. 2) The play had it's own live BAND called 'The Craze' (including a washboards, spoons, basses and great voices, of course) that played when we took our seats in the theatre before the play, and then throughout the show.

I really don't want to tell you too much of the plot because some of it does involve audience participation, which you just have to be there to appreciate fully. *If you have seen it, I want to know what you thought about the bit just before the interval, you'll know what I mean!

One Man, Two Guv'nors is still showing at the Royal Haymarket so don't miss out on family fun and great belly laughs. Lastminute.com do some amazing hotel/dinner package deals for the play, so it will be a great day out if you can go. Tickets now start from £12 and you can find all the info HERE!